The signs were there, but now it’s official. A season that began with an Australian Open victory has ended in withdrawal for Madison Keys. She’s pulled out of the 2025 WTA Finals due to illness after being mathematically eliminated. Competing at the year-end championships for the first time since 2016, Keys was set to face Elena Rybakina on Thursday in her final round robin match. But now, the stage is set for someone else.

With Keys out, Elena Rybakina, already through to the semi-finals as group winner, will face second alternate 30-year-old Russian professional Ekaterina Alexandrova in a dead-rubber match. Alexandrova, who reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 10 on 13 October 2025, has won five WTA Tour and three WTA 125 singles titles. But why didn’t the first alternate,

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